I joined a lesson plan blogroll upon invitation from another homeschool blogger (see sidebar for links to the other participants), and I decided that maybe if I post today's plans, I might get more done. Accountability helps us ADD Moms, you know. *grin* So please review my day's lesson plans below and get a glimpse into a KONOS family's daily educational goals!
As a completely un-related (ADD Moment) side-item, my Konos friend Jennifer emailed me this morning with a VERY FUNNY review of the wonderful "Bag of Plagues" that I discussed before Easter. It only made me want to buy them more! I just have to have that cow! As a mad animal-squishing freak, I love anything that borders on extreme cuteness (fluffy rodents and kittens beware). My friend Teresa keeps inviting me over to see her little yellow chicks - she does this without knowing their peril. Just one look at their feathered fuzz and that evil gleam in my eyes threatens to throw me into "squish-mode". No, really... I just love to pet and hold little cute animals. DISCLAIMER: NO ANIMALS have ever been harmed by me intentionally. Although my cat might disagree after the children's benadryl episode (foaming at the mouth is no fun - even less is having bubble gum liquid shot down your throat with a medicine injector and coating your scratchy little cat tongue, I'm sure). I hope the cat has forgotten this event! I sure haven't (nor the 75$ vet bill for the advice to use over the counter medicines).
OK, back on topic... here are my lesson plans for today (I started out thinking I was going to type up a week's worth and just today's killed me... so maybe I'll come back and do a week some other time when I have more time!):
Tuesday's Lesson Plans:
1. Kaden does his vocabulary for KONOS for this week (Morgan did this yesterday). Write the words and look up the definitions on dictionary.com (since our dictionary is in storage in Texas). Write a paraphrased definition under each word on his notebook paper.
This week's words are:
Season
Winter
Summer
Spring
Autumn
Fall
Calendar
Month
Day
Week
Sabbath
(this week's words are a cake-walk! Morgan looked at me in disbelief that they were so easy.)
2. Look up three poems and read them from the internet: "The Last Word of a Bluebird" by R. Frost, "Spring" by William Blake and "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening" - also by Frost.
3. Bible Drill (each kid races to find the scripture while being timed)/Read the Memory Verse for Konos.
This week's Memory Verse is: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (only verse 1 is what they write)
A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
4. Visualize World Geography (has nothing to do with Konos - this is an added program we use). Listen to the jingles CD with all the South American Countries and Capital City names. Review South American countries, capitals and flags (use the Interactive Map link).
5. KONOS Activities from Volume 1, pages 195, 196 and 197 as part of the Seasons Unit in the Orderliness Character Trait.
Paraphrased activities for today are:
pg 195 c) Measure a circle, learn that it has 360 degrees. How much is 1/2 of 360? (180). 1/4 of 360? (90). An 1/8th of 360? (45). Learn that it is true no matter how large the circle is. Learn that the Earth is 25,000 miles around and that is 360 degrees. Work a problem out that gives the answer to what 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 of 360 is. Find out where you would end up on the globe if you traveled 180 degrees from where you live. Learn that because the earth is a circle and we have 24 hours in a day, the earth is divided into 15 degrees for each hour... therefore it takes one hour to travel each 15 degrees.
pg 196 d) Answer following questions:
- Look at an atlas and find longitude of our town.
- What time is it in your town?
- What time is it 15 degrees East?
- What time is it on the other side of the US?
- What time is it in Dehli, India?
- What time is it in Sydney, Australia?
- What time is it in Hong Kong?
pg 196 e) Study US Time zones. I'll probably come up with a worksheet from the internet for them to color on this - maybe Enchanted Learning?
pg 196 f) Read about the Daylight Savings Time (Standard Time Act of 1917). Ask the kids if they agree or disagree and why?
pg 196 g) Look at an airline timetable in a travel agency. Pretend you are flying to London. If you left right now, what time would you get there? How would you feel? Why? Explain "jet lag". Learn the formula for how much rest time you will need when traveling long distances to recover from jet lag:
Travel time (over 2) + Number of Zones (over 4) + Departure Time Number + Arrival Time Number X 2.4 = Hours of Rest Needed
p 197 h) Use an airline time table. "Fly" to your favorite destination and figure the hours of rest you will need when you arrive (from This Book About Time).
p 197 i) It is day or night when (question answer game):
- a lizard crawls under a rock? (day)
- crickets chirp? (night)
- raccoons hunt? (night)
- a rooster crows? (day)
- a hawk hunts? (day)
- a bee collects pollen? (day)
- a bat flies from its roost? (day - at sunset)
p 197 j) Let the kids sketch a picture with charcoal and ask the kids, "What time of day is it in your picture?" (I'm going to have to hunt for a piece of this since we have no fireplace!)
p 197 k) Why are there 7 days in a week? (Read Genesis 1)
6. Finish reading Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (we have about three chapters left)
7. Go to the library and do some free reading/book gathering while Mom looks up books on Mayan civilization (we're learning about the Mayan calendar and Roman calendar later this week). We have a late video to return that is going to cost me a small fortune (Schoolhouse Rock).
8. Go grocery shopping with Dad and Mom (Kevin is off today, so we'll probably shop with Daddy this week). Read Season-related Library books and a few off-topic library books in the car while we go shop and possibly look at a rental house.
9. Make Resurrection Cookies (we didn't have pecans the other day, so I couldn't make them on Easter) and read the resurrection account in the Bible (if we have time for this).
10. Prayer and Prayer Journals.
11. Chores
Before I leave your jaw gaping, I probably WON'T get to ALL of that today... but it is a goal and I've got it written down so that if there is a free moment ANYWHERE in the day, it can be used constructively. Also, if the kids finish a task and ask me "What's next?" I can tell them. Also, we aren't doing Math or Language worksheets today (because my Kaden takes forever to do them - they are his least favorite part of school), and because Daddy is home today.
Well, I better get to work! Have a great Tuesday!!!
Technorati Tags: Homeschooling, Learning, Getting Things Done, Fun, KONOS, Curriculum, Homeschool, Homeschool Planning, Home School, Unit Studies, Teaching, Lesson Plans, Organization, Children, Parenting, Passover Links, Easter
As a completely un-related (ADD Moment) side-item, my Konos friend Jennifer emailed me this morning with a VERY FUNNY review of the wonderful "Bag of Plagues" that I discussed before Easter. It only made me want to buy them more! I just have to have that cow! As a mad animal-squishing freak, I love anything that borders on extreme cuteness (fluffy rodents and kittens beware). My friend Teresa keeps inviting me over to see her little yellow chicks - she does this without knowing their peril. Just one look at their feathered fuzz and that evil gleam in my eyes threatens to throw me into "squish-mode". No, really... I just love to pet and hold little cute animals. DISCLAIMER: NO ANIMALS have ever been harmed by me intentionally. Although my cat might disagree after the children's benadryl episode (foaming at the mouth is no fun - even less is having bubble gum liquid shot down your throat with a medicine injector and coating your scratchy little cat tongue, I'm sure). I hope the cat has forgotten this event! I sure haven't (nor the 75$ vet bill for the advice to use over the counter medicines).
OK, back on topic... here are my lesson plans for today (I started out thinking I was going to type up a week's worth and just today's killed me... so maybe I'll come back and do a week some other time when I have more time!):
Tuesday's Lesson Plans:
1. Kaden does his vocabulary for KONOS for this week (Morgan did this yesterday). Write the words and look up the definitions on dictionary.com (since our dictionary is in storage in Texas). Write a paraphrased definition under each word on his notebook paper.
This week's words are:
Season
Winter
Summer
Spring
Autumn
Fall
Calendar
Month
Day
Week
Sabbath
(this week's words are a cake-walk! Morgan looked at me in disbelief that they were so easy.)
2. Look up three poems and read them from the internet: "The Last Word of a Bluebird" by R. Frost, "Spring" by William Blake and "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening" - also by Frost.
3. Bible Drill (each kid races to find the scripture while being timed)/Read the Memory Verse for Konos.
This week's Memory Verse is: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (only verse 1 is what they write)
A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
4. Visualize World Geography (has nothing to do with Konos - this is an added program we use). Listen to the jingles CD with all the South American Countries and Capital City names. Review South American countries, capitals and flags (use the Interactive Map link).
5. KONOS Activities from Volume 1, pages 195, 196 and 197 as part of the Seasons Unit in the Orderliness Character Trait.
Paraphrased activities for today are:
pg 195 c) Measure a circle, learn that it has 360 degrees. How much is 1/2 of 360? (180). 1/4 of 360? (90). An 1/8th of 360? (45). Learn that it is true no matter how large the circle is. Learn that the Earth is 25,000 miles around and that is 360 degrees. Work a problem out that gives the answer to what 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 of 360 is. Find out where you would end up on the globe if you traveled 180 degrees from where you live. Learn that because the earth is a circle and we have 24 hours in a day, the earth is divided into 15 degrees for each hour... therefore it takes one hour to travel each 15 degrees.
pg 196 d) Answer following questions:
- Look at an atlas and find longitude of our town.
- What time is it in your town?
- What time is it 15 degrees East?
- What time is it on the other side of the US?
- What time is it in Dehli, India?
- What time is it in Sydney, Australia?
- What time is it in Hong Kong?
pg 196 e) Study US Time zones. I'll probably come up with a worksheet from the internet for them to color on this - maybe Enchanted Learning?
pg 196 f) Read about the Daylight Savings Time (Standard Time Act of 1917). Ask the kids if they agree or disagree and why?
pg 196 g) Look at an airline timetable in a travel agency. Pretend you are flying to London. If you left right now, what time would you get there? How would you feel? Why? Explain "jet lag". Learn the formula for how much rest time you will need when traveling long distances to recover from jet lag:
Travel time (over 2) + Number of Zones (over 4) + Departure Time Number + Arrival Time Number X 2.4 = Hours of Rest Needed
p 197 h) Use an airline time table. "Fly" to your favorite destination and figure the hours of rest you will need when you arrive (from This Book About Time).
p 197 i) It is day or night when (question answer game):
- a lizard crawls under a rock? (day)
- crickets chirp? (night)
- raccoons hunt? (night)
- a rooster crows? (day)
- a hawk hunts? (day)
- a bee collects pollen? (day)
- a bat flies from its roost? (day - at sunset)
p 197 j) Let the kids sketch a picture with charcoal and ask the kids, "What time of day is it in your picture?" (I'm going to have to hunt for a piece of this since we have no fireplace!)
p 197 k) Why are there 7 days in a week? (Read Genesis 1)
6. Finish reading Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (we have about three chapters left)
7. Go to the library and do some free reading/book gathering while Mom looks up books on Mayan civilization (we're learning about the Mayan calendar and Roman calendar later this week). We have a late video to return that is going to cost me a small fortune (Schoolhouse Rock).
8. Go grocery shopping with Dad and Mom (Kevin is off today, so we'll probably shop with Daddy this week). Read Season-related Library books and a few off-topic library books in the car while we go shop and possibly look at a rental house.
9. Make Resurrection Cookies (we didn't have pecans the other day, so I couldn't make them on Easter) and read the resurrection account in the Bible (if we have time for this).
10. Prayer and Prayer Journals.
11. Chores
Before I leave your jaw gaping, I probably WON'T get to ALL of that today... but it is a goal and I've got it written down so that if there is a free moment ANYWHERE in the day, it can be used constructively. Also, if the kids finish a task and ask me "What's next?" I can tell them. Also, we aren't doing Math or Language worksheets today (because my Kaden takes forever to do them - they are his least favorite part of school), and because Daddy is home today.
Well, I better get to work! Have a great Tuesday!!!
Technorati Tags: Homeschooling, Learning, Getting Things Done, Fun, KONOS, Curriculum, Homeschool, Homeschool Planning, Home School, Unit Studies, Teaching, Lesson Plans, Organization, Children, Parenting, Passover Links, Easter
12 comments:
Wow! I had to laugh at your "jaw gaping" comment, because my mouth was hanging open in shock. Whether you finish it all or not, it looks like a great day and really puts mine to shame. :)
You wouldn't say that if you knew that on some days, we do good to get four things on our list checked off. It just depends on the day! Like I said, we all have our melt-downs and homeschooling (like life) is a roller coaster. :) But that's OK. The good is worth all the bad - even if you have a rotten week and FEEL like you aren't accomplishing much... your kids will astound you with what they learn despite your bad days!
Two comments in one day on one post. I know I have other things I should be doing...
That "Bag of Plagues" review was hysterical. I gotta have that cow!
you really are amazing.
Terrible Speller: Amazingly crazy, maybe! OK - here's the moment of truth. This is what we ACTUALLY got to yesterday on my husband's day off:
1. Kaden did his vocabulary for KONOS as planned.
2. We looked up TWO of the three poems and Daddy read them off of his laptop (we still have to read the "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening" - Robert Frost today).
3. We did our Bible Drill (Kaden got 20 seconds, and Morgan got 10 seconds) and we read our Memory Verse for Konos (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)... but they DIDN'T WRITE IT (another leftover for today).
4. WE DID NOT do Visualize World Geography at all - another leftover for today.
5. The only TWO KONOS Activities we got to were:
p 197 i) It is day or night when (question answer game):
- a lizard crawls under a rock? (day)
- crickets chirp? (night)
- raccoons hunt? (night)
- a rooster crows? (day)
- a hawk hunts? (day)
- a bee collects pollen? (day)
- a bat flies from its roost? (day - at sunset)
p 197 k) Why are there 7 days in a week? (Read Genesis 1)
6. WE DID NOT Finish reading Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (another leftover for today)
7. We DID Go to the library and the kids read some of the books on Mayan civilization on the way to the grocery store... We turned in our late video (it was only 80 cents fine! :) ).... and Kaden got a movie on insects that they watched while Daddy cooked dinner.
8. They went grocery shopping with Dad and Mom... always big fun, eh?
9. We did NOT make Resurrection Cookies (but we did get the pecans so we could make them today).
10. They DID Pray and write in their Prayer Journals... and did some artwork in them, too.
11. Of course, as every day - they did their share of Chores.
So... I didn't finish all I set out to do. Oh, well. Today is a new day. I'll probably just do the rest of what we had planned for yesterday today and call it a day (My husband is off today, too - so in effect, this is our "weekend"). We do school Saturday, and we read a lot on Sundays after church since Daddy is at work.
I don't want you getting the feeling that I'm some kind of homeschool robot! ;) I wish I could stay on task like that! Remember, I'm the ADD mom!
It's always so great to see what others are doing--and even greater to see them neing honest about planned versus accomplished! Thanks!
I have a couple of questions.
1)What ages are your 2(or grade for curiculum)?
2)Is that 1/5 of your weekly work (please tell me no).
3)Does Konos cover Math and Science or do you bust them out seperate?
I am just full of annoying questions. Though you are scaring me with that intial list;).
Karen - :) Nobody's perfect. :)
Nerdmom - :) Love the name, by the way. It's a badge of honor - being a nerd. I wear it proudly.
Here are your answers:
My kids are 9 (boy) and 7 (girl). They are in 3rd and 2nd grades.
Actually, that was almost my entire week's work last week since we flaked out for the rest of the week, if you want all honesty here. Our weeks usually run Thursday through Monday (weekends when Daddy is off Tues/Wed). But last week, I was TRYING to do school DURING our usual "days off" (hence the Tuesday lesson plans).
We did a little of that list Tuesday, and had most of the day off Wednesday (Daddy home still). Then Thursday, we invited some co-op friends over and we cooked a big supper for them (which included us walking to the store for groceries and cleaning the house prior to their arrival)... only BASIC schooling got done (prayer journals, Math and Language worksheets). Then, Friday, the co-op met at McDonalds because it had rained our park day out. I was planning to just stay home to get caught up on school and hit those OTHER lesson plans (the ones penciled in for Wed/Thurs/Fri)... but my friend from co-op talked me in to ditching school to let the kids have some PE time with pals. Day 3 - no KONOS. Then Saturday (since everyone else is usually off), we got invited to a birthday party at the roller rink. I can't very well tell my children no, right? So we met up with a lot of their co-op buddies and they got another fun day of PE in (hardly any school, if any). Sunday... Church, no school. So... if you want the ACTUALS on last week, that was my ENTIRE week's lesson plan (even though in PENCIL, it was DAY 1 of 4). We checked off a few more things, but some of THAT still remains undone (leftovers for THIS week).
Don't be intimidated by my lesson plans. They are just PLANS (which doesn't mean they will necessarily get done). Life sometimes gets in the way. I do feel much better when we get MORE done than we did last week, however. I was really feeling BAD about last week when Sunday rolled around. To me, it was really more of a Spring Break than a school week, and I'll probably mark at least 2 days as "Teacher In-Service" and only count the PE as actual work.
I'll try and post a FULL WEEK's lesson plans (and be a little more realistic) later this week. I tend to overplan... :) But then, it only harms me - since we can only get done what we can get done. The kids think KONOS is "fun time", and not school... so they would not care if we did it until dark (but HATE worksheets).
KONOS has a LOT of Science, and History... but they suggest that you add in a Math and Language or Spelling/Phonics program. We have used A Beka and Miquon for Math, and are currently using A Beka... and we have used A Beka and Generic Workbooks for Language (this year it's the Generic, unfortunantly). When we did Phonics, we used Distar's "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" and "Phonics Through Poetry"... and my kids played "A B Seas" Discovery Toy Game. Konos in a Box (Classic) books include Language instruction including learning to write paragraphs, types of sentences, and report writing. You could use KONOS as your language Arts, but even KONOS says that you should do a phonics program in the early years and start Spelling/Grammar at grade 3 (in addition to the Unit Studies stuff they provide).
You can make it as easy or hard as you want since KONOS Volume books are really like Giant Menus. You pick and choose WHAT YOU WANT TO DO based on your child's needs. You can even skip an entire unit if you really don't want to teach it. Say you really hate birds - and you don't want to teach about them. I doubt that will stunt them forever if you totally leave it out. Also, you don't have to do every activity. You can (if you aren't ADD and crazy like me) pick 10 activities and read a few books and BE DONE WITH IT if you want. :) Wish I could do that. I tend to crash and burn on a unit because I keep thinking we're forgetting something. Like my kids are going to remember every little detail about the geologic column at ages 7 and 9?!?!
Anyway, do NOT be like me. Just enjoy the curriculum. If I can do Konos, anyone can!
Wow! I wish that there had been all these wonderful blogs and email lists back when I tried to use KONOS years ago. How wonderful to have others to help with the lesson planning!
Keep up the great work helping others put their lessons together.
Blessings,
Kathy
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/iluvtheland
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blubberbloggers
You are so welcome! Thanks for commenting and encouraging me.
Phew! Your daily plans sound like my weekly plans. I admire your spunk.
Well, you should read through the comments to see exactly what got done before you admire my spunk! ;)
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